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Friday, June 7, 2013

Bake Along #45 Chia Seed & Parmesan Crackers

It's rare that I baked savoury cookies, in this case, crackers
But my kids do not like anything with seeds, any kind of seed
So, I didn't put too many kinds of seeds, to make it not too obvious for them
I just used one type, chia seeds
And I added some grated parmesan cheese too, for extra flavour, which the whole family surely will enjoy

The parmesan cheese looks reddish in color in the photos I am quite sure people will think it's chilli LOL

To make the dough by hand, in a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, chia seeds

Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs the size of peas. Add in parmesan cheese and stir well. Pour in the 1/2 cup cream and mix with a fork until a rough mass forms

Using a plastic pastry scraper, scrape the dough out onto a clean work surface and gently squeeze it together. Add a few more drops of cream if the dough will not hold a soft shape. Gently press the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes or for up to 1 hour (I kept in the fridge overnight)

Preheat an oven to 180degC. Line 2 half-sheet pans or rimless baking sheets with parchment paper

Unwrap the dough disk and place on a lightly floured work surface. Using a sharp knife or a bench scraper, cut the dough in half. Roll out one half of the dough into a rectangular sheet as thin as possible without tearing, dusting it with flour as needed to prevent sticking to either the work surface or the rolling pin. Trim the edges of the dough to fit the prepared pan, then carefully transfer the dough to the pan. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Alternatively, using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the sheets of dough into shapes and place on the pans

Bake 1 sheet of crackers at a time until they are crisp and brown, 12 to 15 minutes Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely until crisp. If you have baked the dough in sheets, break each sheet into shards. The crackers are best when eaten fresh, but they may be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

The whole family agreed that this snack is indeed addictive, crispy and tasty
The kids munched on them without noticing the chia seeds :)